All the bad things that have ever happened to a forest—wildfires, slashing and burning, deforestation, etc. have come from humans. Yet a new study—Securing Rights, Combating Climate Change—from the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Resources and Rights Initiative (RRI) learned that the best way to protect a forest isn’t to keep people out, but to let more people in. In the Amazon rainforest, deforestation rates in community-owned areas are far lower than outside. Since 2000, annual deforestation rates in Brazil have been 7 per cent outside indigenous territories, but only 0.6 per cent inside. The report estimates that indigenous territories in the Brazilian Amazon could prevent the emission of 12 billion tons of CO2 between now and 2050. Only 1/8 of the world’s forests are controlled by communities, the vast majority are controlled by governments who lease out logging and mining contracts to private corporations.
Rainforests are best protected by local communities
More of Today's Solutions
This 3-day routine will give your gut a proper cleansing
In both ancient Ayurveda and modern medicine, the importance of gut health as a staple of our physical and mental health has never been clearer. If ...
Read MoreOur greatest love of all could be friendship
We live in a world that gives top priority to finding a partner and being in a monogamous marriage. It's the "happily ever after" ...
Read MoreHospitality workers’ wages get unprecedented boost with 30% wage increases
In an unexpected turn of events, the hospitality industry, long associated with some of the lowest-paid occupations, is undergoing a wage revolution. Over the last ...
Read MoreScientists map the mysteries of the brain in more detail than ever before
Google researchers revealed a wonderfully precise map of a portion of the human brain, marking a significant step forward in neuroscience. This astonishing feat, published in ...
Read More
